Untitled (Abstract collage monotype woodcut) c. 1940s - 1950s

Sam Glankoff made this diptych - a collage monotype woodcut - sometime in the mid-20th century, in the thick of the abstract expressionist movement. It feels like Glankoff's in conversation with other artists, totally riffing on form and pushing back against the status quo. I imagine him in his studio, maybe a bit messy, with scraps of wood and paper scattered around. He's got ink all over his hands, totally absorbed in the process. Each panel is a puzzle. In the left one, there's an almost totemic figure, maybe a bull with giant horns, teetering on top of a circle. The right panel is a bit more architectural, stacked triangles and orbs that feels like it could tip over any minute. The textures are wonderful: thick, inky blacks against the raw paper. You can almost feel the grain of the woodcut, the pressure of the press. Glankoff is playing with ambiguity and improvisation, inviting us to make up our own stories. It's like he's saying, "Here are some shapes, now you figure it out."